The bulldog contributed more than just 47 yards to Sunday's thriller against the undefeated Packers; he brought an attitude.
Missing the previous four games with a foot injury, Ahmad Bradshaw received a short pass from Eli Manning on the first play of his return and barreled for a seven-yard pickup. While he wouldn't blow up any stat lines with 38 yards rushing and nine yards receiving on the night, Bradshaw's effort sent shockwaves across the Giants' sideline.
"Ahmad sends the message," Tom Coughlin said on Monday. "He really does. He's not going down. You see what he did on that opening pass play where he caught the ball, was knocked around, boom, boom, boom, boom. It looked like a three-yard gain and all of a sudden it's a seven-yard gain. He brings with him a serious, serious attitude about playing the game and being physical and not accepting things that don't go well. He's serious."
With Bradshaw's help, the Giants' rushing attack hit the century mark on the head for their first 100-yard game since posting 111 on the New England Patriots in Week Nine.
Meanwhile, Brandon Jacobs put up his second-best performance of the season with 59 yards on the ground and a touchdown. Jacobs, who was averaging 3.1 yards per carry while Bradshaw was out, averaged 7.4 yards on eight attempts against the Packers.
"We know what we have to do," Bradshaw said after the game. "We are going to have to take it one game at a time. I think we will be fine. We have a great team and we have a great attitude right now."
Wide receiver Hakeem Nicks benefited from the increased production in the run game, saying the safety would come down and leave one-on-one chances for him and Victor Cruz.
But it was more than just X's and O's.
"Yes, offensively, we definitely had a spark with him coming back," said Nicks, who had his first multi-touchdown game of the season with two. "It was just the intensity that he brings to our offensive huddle, to the team and to the sidelines. It was definitely good to have him back with that spark. I felt like everything was just clicking. We were running the ball very well yesterday and we were able to make some big plays in the passing game as well."
Bradshaw's presence also trickled down to the defense. Safety Antrel Rolle noticed the energy on the sideline as all three phases of the team worked together.
"The bulldog came to play," Rolle said. "He came to play. I think him being back also brings a spark to Jacobs, brings a spark to Eli, brings a spark to the entire offense. He's one of our biggest playmakers on the offensive side of the ball, and you need him. You need Ahmad there."
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